


A Long Time Waiting

by FBH



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alpha Sherlock, Alpha/Omega, First Meetings, M/M, Non-Established Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Omega John, Omega John Watson, Omegle Roleplay, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-10-28 17:35:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10836057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FBH/pseuds/FBH
Summary: John Watson and Sherlock Holmes both have not met their soulmates, even though they're both far beyond the age, in which you would normally meet your other half. But what is this strange feeling?





	1. The First Meeting

Most Omegas longed for their first heat. Oh, it was supposed to be painful, yes, and it was the start of a lot of stigma and prejudice, but there was one perk. The scent of an Omega on the cusp of heat attracted the soul mate; the one Alpha meant for them and just for them. Yes, for many it took one or two heats for the Alpha to find them, but they were always found. It was quite romantic, the Alpha storming the streets in search for the Omega that needed them. But John Watson…his Alpha never came. He took heat after heat alone, since the day he turned seventeen and presented. By the time he was twenty-six he knew no Alpha would come for him, so he took suppressants, joined the Army, and cried at night when no one would hear him. Life got crueler and crueler. He was shot, discharged, and alone, wandering through London, a broken Omega with no Alpha. He had never been chosen, and it hurt more than his shoulder did. So when Mike Stamford offered a tour, fuck it, he took it.

Sherlock Holmes was a lone alpha. Always had been, probably always would be. There had been plenty who had tried to trick him, Omega Molly Hooper, for example, but he wasn't dumb. He knew that h would be able to smell his Omega from across the city when it would be in heat. That would be of course /if/ an Omega was made for him. To others, he showed the facade of not wanting his Omega, to not care if he ever found his soul mate, but of course this wasn't true. It laid deep in his instincts, and even with his knowledge of how to use his mind, he was unable to push this need away.

Mike was nice. Gentle, soft-spoken, just a hint of playful teasing on his voice. His Omega kept him well-fed and happy, his children joyful. John really wanted to hate him but found that he couldn't. It was nice, this little bit of normal, even if his heart broke every time Mike made some reference to his wife and kids. It was a nice distraction, if a little boring. John smiled and nodded and did all the polite things he knew he was supposed to do. Mike opened the door to a lab and John limped in. "It's a bit different from my day, innit?" It was so strange. Some things were old and familiar, some new and so modern-looking that he was afraid he'd break everything he touched. And there, in the middle of this lab, was an Alpha. John wrinkled his nose at the scent of him, all chemicals and rosin and expensive hair product. Under all those was something sweeter but he couldn't name it.

Sherlock had been working on some blood samples when the two came in. What was that scent? He knew Mike, of course, he'd been here many times before, and the detective was familiar with him. But the other one? Omega. He looked up, narrowing his eyes to look at the new man. A weird, sweet scent hang over him. It was something Sherlock hadn't smelled before. He pushed the train of thought away. Need more data. An Omega this age would naturally have found his Alpha already. Wait. No. War. This man had been to war, and there was no scent of an Alpha over him. He turned his gaze to Mike. "Can I borrow your phone?"

Mike patted his pockets. "Sorry, mate. I left it at my desk. God, I hope the missus doesn't try and call. She'll have my head." John swallowed thickly. Nobody would miss John if he disappeared tomorrow. He reached into his trouser's pocket and pulled out the mobile Harry had given him. "Here, you can use mine." John held it out in front of him like it was a tidbit and the Alpha a particularly dangerous animal he was trying to tame. John had never seen a man like this before. Those /eyes/, they seemed to bore right into him, digging deeper and deeper, seeing everything. He felt nervous but not afraid, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Sherlock turned his piercing gaze to the Omega. "Oh, thank you." he said, stepping closer and taking the mobile. He scanned him over. War, yes, definitely. Where? Sunburns on hands and face. Somewhere with a lot of sun. "Afghanistan or Iraq?" he asked, turning his back to the Omega, as he started texting from the phone. There /was/ some sweet scent over him. What was it? He didn't know, and he really did not like not knowing. "The war." he clarified after a few moments of silence. "Was it Afghanistan or Iraq?"

"I don't...?" John turned at looked over at Mike. All grins but no help there. Fantastic. "I don't understand? Afghanistan. Did...do I know you?" John hoped it would be impossible to forget those eyes but he'd nearly walked straight past Mike without recognizing him so it was at least probable. John wondered, briefly, what this Alpha's mate looked like. Probably someone as beautiful as him, someone with dark hair and slender features, some winsome little thing that kept him up to his knees in revoltingly adorable children. His heart clinched and he took a step back and away, almost hiding behind Mike.

Sherlock smirked, turning to look at the Omega again. There was something about him. Something besides that mysterious scent. He was handsome, for sure. Attractive. Almost... irrisistable. He could feel his pupils widening and turned away for a moment, growling soundlessly under his breath. When he turned his attention back on... what was the name? "Everything about you implies military." he started, gaze cool on the mysterious Omega. "The way you hold yourself, fringe, everything. You haven't been home for long, says the sunburn on face and hands, which also implies that you've been somewhere more... warm... than England recently. And where is there an ongoing war? Two possibilities: Afghanistan or Iraq."

At the growl John looked down and away, embarrassed and ashamed. Then the Alpha pretty much guessed his entire life and John's gaze snapped back up. "That was brilliant. Absolutely remarkable." He dared the smallest grin. "You saw all that just from looking at me?" Amazing. John had never met anyone who could do something like that. He took a small step closer. Then he remembered that every Alpha he'd ever met had already found their Omega, had sought them out during those first couple of heats, and that he was truly alone. Forever. He deflated just a bit.

Sherlock frowned when the other deflated, tilting his head the slightest. He felt an ache by seeing this Omega sad. What was this? He never felt an ache for anyone. He chose to return to his blood samples, looking at the man again when he stood there. "Do you have a problem with the violin?" he asked, gaze cool once more. "I play the violin, when I'm thinking. Would that bother you?"

"Um..." John felt the beginnings of a headache coming on. "I love the violin. Always have, for some reason..." He trailed off a bit. An awkward second ticked by. John cleared his throat. "That's really the sort of question you...I mean, that's a question for your Omega." John's chest hurt. His head hurt and his chest hurt and he was probably going to kill himself the minute he got home to his miserable little flat share. Mike took pity on him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Sherlock, think before you speak, yeah? Johnny's had a rough go. C'mon, have dinner with me and the family. It'll be good for you to have home-cooked meals." John shook his head. The last thing he needed to see was the happy family he'd never have.

John. The Omega's name was John. The Alpha frowned. Rough go? Question for his Omega. Ah. The man hadn't found his Alpha yet. "I don't have an Omega." Sherlock told, hoping to make the other feel less miserable. For some reason, he couldn't bear to see him like that. "I never caught the scent. So." he crooked a smile, looking down at his samples again. "You have no reason to be ashamed. It happens that some meet their partner later than normally." he frowned a bit at his own words. Why was he trying to be comforting? He never did that!

John shook his head. He was a doctor and had done the research. The latest an Alpha had ever found their Omega was six heats in, roughly two years after first presenting, give or take. That or the soul mate died before presenting. As far as he knew he was the only one of his kind. John made a sad sound in the back of his throat. This Alpha's Omega was probably long gone. Poor man. Poor Sherlock. The Alpha's name was Sherlock. Very unusual but it suited him. "I'm sorry. About your Omega, I mean."

Sherlock nodded. "I'm sorry for your Alpha." he said. Something inside him screamed WRONG! Instincts... it was a long time ago he had felt them. He couldn't let this man, John, let John get away. Needed more data. "Would you mind having dinner with me?" he asked, keeping the cool facade. Without Mike being near, he would be able to have a proper conversation with this, gorgeous, wait, what? With this /interesting/ Omega.

John tilted his head a bit. He'd never considered how it must have felt on the other end; to be an Alpha and never catch the scent of the Omega you'd been dying to protect and keep since you knew what dynamics were. It must have hurt just as badly. To never know if your soul mate was dead or just...not interested. If /anybody/ on this miserable, godforsaken planet could understand how he felt it was Sherlock. The lone Alpha and the lone Omega, tied together by love for a soul mate that never came. John smiled and nodded. "Alright, yeah. Dinner sounds nice." Mike grinned. "That's a great idea. Sherlock, you be nice to John, yeah? He doesn't look it but he's pretty strong. He'll punch you like a Beta if you're not careful." For the first time in a long time John actually laughed.

Sherlock smirked. "I'll take good care of him." he assured the man. He keept his gaze at John, studying him. For some reason, he seemed to waken the detective's instincts. Could it be? Maybe? He would try and break down the wall he had put in his mind, once Mike would be gone. /If/ this was his Omega, he didn't want any disturbances nearby when he found out.

"You gonna be okay?" Mike asked. John nodded. "Yeah. I can take care of myself. Punch like a Beta, yeah?" Mike chuckled and walked off, muttering about his mobile and how he needed to find it or he'd be in trouble. John leaned against his cane and looked up at Sherlock. Alone. With an Alpha. He swallowed thickly. "Yeah, so...like he said. My name is John. It's nice to meet you. Do you work here? Are you a chemist or something?"

Sherlock smirked again. "Sherlock Holmes." he said. "And no, not exactly. I'm here to take a look at some evidence from a case. The police go to me for help, when they're too dumb to fix things themselves, which is rather often." he scanned John over once more, his pupils widening again. He hadn't felt this before. Not with anyone.

"Oh. That's interesting. Makes sense, seeing as how you did that thing where you guessed everything based on looking at me." A cop of some sort, then. Yes, that fit into everything John knew until now. John tilted his head, taking in the way Sherlock smiled, the way he stepped just a millimeter closer. Oh. Right. He cleared his throat. "Before we go out I should clear something up. Yes, my Alpha never came but that doesn't mean I'm...I'm flattered, obviously, but I'm still very much in love with my Alpha. Stupid and sentimental, I know, but that's the truth. So thank you but...this can't happen."

Sherlock looked away for a moment, controlling himself. "No, of course not," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. Was this him? Could it be? Could Omegas feel when their Alpha was near? He had not done much research on that. "I'm sorry." he said, looking at John again. "I, uh, I thought I smelled something. There's something over you, which I can't explain, and I'm not used to that." he paused, feeling a sly blush creep onto his pale cheeks. Christ! "You don't have to worry." he assured the other. "I'm not going to suddenly attack you."

"No, you aren't. You couldn't." John looked a little amused. "I was in the army. When I'm not in heat I'm more than capable of defending myself, even from Alphas." He shook his head. "I'm not mad. You lost your Omega too. It makes sense, sort of, that if we were going to do...anything with /anyone/ it would be each other. But I just can't. I'm sorry." He gripped the handle of his cane. "My scent isn't very strong yet. Army suppressants. It'll wear off soon. That's probably what's tripping you up." And probably what was making John unable to properly scent Sherlock.

The detective smiled. "Of course." he was silent for a few moments, thinking. John. He couldn't get his mind off the Omega. It was weird. He felt drawn to him. He even felt protective. His heart rate was fastening. The wall he had build around his instincts were crumbling, desolving, slowly. Of course he couldn't be sure unless he knew... he would have to ask. "May I ask you a personal question?"

"You have to ask?" John joked with him. "You can't tell just by looking at my shoes or something?" He chuckled. "Of course. You can ask whatever you like. Sadly I've...probably gotten more invasive questions than whatever you're going to ask." Everybody had questions for him and sometimes he was in a mood to ask them and sometimes he'd tell them to piss off. But for some reason being with Sherlock put him in a better mood. Maybe it was because someone finally understood.

"When was the last time, you were in heat?" he asked, moving his gaze away from the other to seem less invasive. "Even if I was your Alpha, I'd only be able to tell if you were. And, well, the possibilities of that are rather small." he crooked another smile, feeling a little awkward. "I'm sorry, if it's too invasive." he said. "You don't have to answer."

John felt confused. "About...fourteen years ago? I...joined the Army and started suppressants and...but you can't be my Alpha. You'd have come for me that first heat. Right? Or the second? I mean, sometimes it takes a while but not..." He did some mental math. He presented at seventeen and joined the Army at twenty-six. Around nine or ten years' worth of heats, waiting. That was enough time for any Alpha to find him. Right?

"I..." Sherlock looked away as he thought of his own life back then. "I did a lot of drugs, back when I was that age." he admitted, scratching the back of his head again. "I'm pretty sure cocaine slows the instincts. At least that's why I did it. My brother always told me, how I'd never get an Omega, and how if there even was one for me, this person wouldn't like me. So I decided to spare myself the pain. Foolish." he met John's gaze again, hoping he hadn't scared the man away.

"You...?" John felt sick. He felt like he was going to faint. Sherlock looked to be a bit younger than himself. So, assuming that Sherlock was younger, add in the admitted drug use, John's joining the Army...the timeline made sense. Which meant that Sherlock could be his Alpha and he'd intentionally numbed his brain to avoid ever seeing John. And now they were here. John was busted beyond repair. Once he'd been a good-looking, sturdy, and strong Omega and now he was broken and thrown out. He felt his whole body tense with sadness and rage and countless other emotions. Then he swayed on his feet, feeling lightheaded.

Sherlock looked away, ashamed. "I'm sorry." he mumbled. He felt horrible. Dreadful. "I thought... John, my drug abuse had nothing to do with you. I wanted an Omega, still do, but I grew up with always being told, that my Omega would hate me, that they wouldn't want me. I'm so sorry..." the last words were barely a whisper. "I understand, if you don't want me, of course. It's understandable. I'm sorry it had to be me, that you had the misfortune to be paired with."

John took a deep breath in. "Let's...not get ahead of ourselves. You /could/ be my Alpha but that doesn't mean you /are/." He felt dizzy. "I-I need to sit down. Can I-" John remembered the last thing he saw before he finally felt woozy enough to hit his knees was Sherlock looking so fucking sad. And how John would've let him have that last breath in his body if it meant Sherlock didn't ever look sad again. So...yes. This was his Alpha and he still loved him. He was furious with him but he loved him still. Like an idiot.

The detective fell to his knees to catch the falling Omega, his falling Omega. He sat down, holding the man in his arms. Protective. He felt extremely protective at the moment. Had anyone come in that door in this moment, he would've growled. He held the man in one arm, stroking his cheek lightly with his other hand. "John? John are you okay?" there was panic in his voice, a feeling that he was not very familiar with, but which he felt strongly now.

It took a second but John eventually blinked up at Sherlock. He groaned and leaned into the sturdiness of the Alpha. His scent was warmer here, and stronger. Like honey over toast. John wanted to stay here forever. Why did his head hurt? Right, he'd gotten lightheaded and fell, his legs too weak to support him. And he'd been angry. John reached out and grabbed Sherlock's jacket, gripping it tight. "You didn't come for me. You didn't...I waited so long for you..." Still, he leaned into the touch. "I missed you."

The detective could feel a tear roll down his cheek. "I'm so sorry." he whispered, tightening his hold on his Omega. "So sorry..." he, of all people, couldn't find anything to say other than those words. That was what he felt. Sorry. And love. "I understand perfectly, if you don't want me." he sighed, his heart hammering in his chest as never before. He was scared. What if John threw him away? As Mycroft had said he would...

John's eyes snapped open. "Don't want you? Are you not listening to me?" John tried to sit up but Sherlock tightened his grip and he couldn't. "I'm mad. Furious, even. And I'm going to be petty about this for /years/. Like, every single time I want tea in bed you're going to get it for me or I'll bring /this/ up but..." John scoffed. "Not even listening to me. I /love/ you, you berk. I have since I was seventeen. I still do. I'm angry yes but I'm not going to throw you away. I know what that feels like."

Sherlock nodded eagerly. "Tea, breakfast, whatever you want." he assured him, unable to hold back a small grin. "Christ, I love you." he felt guilt, and love, mostly love, but a hell lot of guilt as well. "God, you're gorgeous." he mumbled, placing his free hand on the man's chest. "I think you're absolutely beautiful."

John blushed. "No need to flatter me. I wish you could've seen me when I was younger. I was something to look at then." John still felt hurt. He still felt angry. But he knew he could move past it, starting with beating the hell out of this older brother of Sherlock's that had convinced him he didn't deserve an Omega. That was something to look forward to. "I love you too. It's going to be okay. You utter arse, I promise. It's going to be fine."


	2. Not a real chapter just yet

Hey guys.  
I just wanted to let you know, that chapter two is a work in progress. I'm currently at 1928 words, and I'm expecting to make about 3000. I'll keep this updated, and future chapters will be added more frequently :) Promise.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> I have absolutely no idea who my RP partner is, but I know that I really like them. I'm the one doing Sherlock.


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